Bermuda braces for approach of Category 3 Hurricane Humberto

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MIAMI (AP) — Hurricane Humberto grew into a powerful Category 3 storm Tuesday evening, and officials on Bermuda made plans for early shutdowns of schools, public transportation and government offices on the British Atlantic territory ahead of the storm’s likely close pass on Wednesday.

Tropical Storm Imelda, meanwhile, swept ashore on Texas’ Gulf coast and weakened into a tropical depression, but still threatened to deluge parts of Southwest Texas and southwestern Louisiana with up to 18 inches (46 centimeters) of rain over the next few days. It was the first named storm to hit the Houston area since Hurricane Harvey’s heavy rains flooded more than 150,000 homes around the city and caused an estimated $125 billion in damages in Texas

In Bermuda, National Security Minister Wayne Caines told reporters that schools, government offices and ferries on the island would close at noon Wednesday and bus service would end at 4 p.m. as officials got ready for Humberto.

Officials said tropical storm-force winds were expected to start hitting Bermuda, with hurricane-force gusts, starting about 3 p.m. Wednesday and lasting until about 4 a.m. Thursday. Humberto was predicted to pass just to the north of Bermuda, but a small shift in track could bring the storm over the island itself.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Humberto’s maximum sustained winds strengthened to 115 mph (185 kph) and it would probably remain a Category 3 hurricane through Thursday though there could be some fluctuations in its winds. The storm was centered about 370 miles (595 kilometers) west of Bermuda and moving to the east-northeast at 12 mph (19 kph).

Bermuda was expected to see rainfall of up to 4 inches (10 centimeters), with large swells along the coast.